Almond bleacher and sulphur feeder



Get. 23, 1923. 1,471,597

A. M. FOWLER ET AL ALMOND BLEACHER AND SULPHUR FEEDER Filed Jan. 29, 1921 2 Shgets-Sheet 1 lllll INVENTORS AZl/erl M Fowl a! m WilliainI-i. L Zudfild H Q MATTORNEY- Oct. 23,1923. 1,471,597

' A M. FOWLER ET AL ALMOND BLEAGHER AND SULPHUR FEEDER Filed Jan. 29. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fa f0 [Ea l INVENTORS AlberZM FuWLer and H. Caulfisild B ATTORNEY Y Patented Get. 23, 1923.

ALBERT 1a. FOWLER Ann wILL nrai- CAULFEILD,. or rnrnonrrs, CALIFORNIA, As-

SIGNOBS 'I'O CALIFORNIA ALMOND GROWERS EXCHANGE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALI FORNIA, A CORPORATION OF'OALIFORNIAQ ALM ND e EAoHEa AND sULPnUn FEEDER.

Application filed January 29,1921. Serial no. oses.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERr M. FOWLER and WILLIAM H. OAU'LFEILD, citizens of the United States, residing at Fairoaks, county of Sacramento, State of California, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Almond Bleachers and Sulphur Feeders; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same,

reference being had to the accompanying" drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form' a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for bleaching almonds, this being a process to which almonds are subjected in order to bleach the shells and give them a pleasing appearance which renders them more readily saleable. The'process is preferably carried outwith the use of sulphur fumes, which of course kill any germ or insect life with which the nuts may be infested, besides giving them a light color as above stated.

The process is also adaptable for figs, prunes and other dried fruit and the like.

The principal object of our invention is to provide an apparatus for the purpose by means of which a continuous bleaching process may be carried out, and which will, do away with human handling of the products while they are being bleached, and eliminatingthe possibility of theoperator breathing any of the stifling sulphur fumes, as frequently occurs with the crude methods now generally in vogue.

We have also constructed the device so that the length of time during which the products are subjected to the bleaching fumes may be regulated to a nicety.

Another object is to provide a novel mean for obtaining and feeding the sulphur fumes. g V

.A further object-of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive deviceand yet one which will be exceedingly eifective for the' purposes which it is designed.

These objects we accomplish by meansof such structure and relative arrangement of.

parts as willffully appear'by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view of our appa-Q ratus, mainly in section and broken at one point to shortenthesame.

Fig. 2 is a front end view of the bleachingchamber, showing thesulphur feed de- Fig. 3' is a cross sectionof'the bleaching chamber, taken adjacent the rear end.

Fig. a is a sectional view of a sulphur mixer and conveyor.

F 1g. 51s a fragmentary longitudinal section of the rear end of the bleaching chamber.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective plan of a deflecting board and.

apron structure.

Leading to the forward end of this chain her and communicating therewithnear the top is a chute 2, covered except at its lower end, which is farthest from the chamber, and which end has a hopper 3 leading there into.

Inside this chute, and extending transversely thereof at intervals are concavefaced rollers 4, over which passes an and less travelling belt 5 onto which the hopper discharges and which then passes alternately over plane-faced rollers 6 mounted transverselyof the chamber 1 at both ends and arranged in vertically spaced relation,

thus passing by steps from top to bottom of the chamber, and finally returning tothe outer end of'the chute 2.

Alongside the belt in the said chuteiis steam pipe 7, provided with spaced slits j 10o prevent sag of the beltfin the chamber,

slats 9 are placed under each layer or length I of the same betweenthe end pullevs.

It will therefore be seen that with. the y above'described arrangement ofthe belt, the

res

uppermost layer orlength moves toward therear end of the chamber, passesaround the adjacent roller 6,'wh1ch causes a reversal 70 Referring now more. particularly to the h of the direction of movement of the belt so that the length below moves toward the front end andover the adjacent roller 6 at that end, when its direction of move ment is again reversed and so on, the various pulleys being so arranged that the different lengths of the belt will all he truly hori-- said pulleys and extending the entire width of the belt. These members-are adapted to brush and deflect the produce carried by the belt onto opposed aprons 1O which ex tend parallel to the side edges of the belt and-whose upper edges are spaced from the edges of the upper belt but whose lower edges lie inside the vertical plane of the sides of the belt-length below, as clearly shown in Fi 8.

2 similar arrangement of deflectors and aprons is had at the opposite end of the chamber, the deflectors of course pointing in the opposite direction to those just described and being in vertically staggered ord errelative thereto By this means the nuts first move from. front to rear of the chamber on the uppermost length of belt, are then brushed off onto the belt below, moving then to the front end of the chamher, where they are again brushed off onto the belt below, and so on, gradually working their way from top to bottom of the series .of belt-lengths.

The lowest rearwardly moving length of belt discharges directly onto a slatted con-- veyor-belt 11 which is enclosed in an upwardly extending chute 12 at the upper end of which is a discharge bin 13 into which the bleached nuts raised by this conveyor drop.

The belt 5, or rather the rollers at one end over which said belt passes, and the conveyor 11, are driven in unison and in the proper and common direction by means of any suitable chain or belt drive as shown at is, preferably exteriorly located, and which may be run at different speeds to suit requirements. i

Each belt length runs between upwardly projecting side-boards or guides 15, extendingto the aprons 10, and which are fitted with inwardly and downwardly slanting slats 16 which project over the edges of the belt immediately adjacent the upper surface thereof.

Asuitable belt-tightener structure as indicated at 17 is fitted to one of the undriven rollers to allow the tension on the belt to be adjusted. i

The sulphur fumes are prepared and and mitted to the bleaching chamber in the following manner j The powdered sulphur 18, which is not unpleasant nor dangerous to handle, is placed in a bin 19 provided with a stirring mechanism consisting ofa' pair ofendless chains 20 spaced apart, and to which are connected transverse slats 21. It will therefore be evident that with a continuous movement of the chains, the slats are moved through the mass of sulphur, keeping the same well stirred.

In the bottom of the bin is an anger conveyor 22, the sides of the bin sloping down thereto. This auger extends beyond one end of the bin in a tube or enclosure 23, leading and discharging into a furnace 24 having an escape flue 25 leading into the forward end of the chamber 1, the [ire in the furnace being made solely by the burnin sulphur.

The chains 20 and anger 22 are preferably driven together and from one of the belt-rollers 6 by means of a suitable chain or belt drive as indicated at 26. The enclosurechamber 12 for the conveyor 11 forms the escapement flue forthe fumes, a chimney 27 being provided on top of this chamber to aid the draft and effectually carry away the fumes. By reason of the fact that the sulphur-auger is driven in conjunction with the belts, the feed is automatic, and none is wasted, since as soon the belts are stopped the supply of sulphur to the burner stops also.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that we have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

lVh'ile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such devia tions from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 2- 1. A bleaching apparatus comprising an enclosed chamber adapted to receive bleaching fumes therein, a pluralityof vertically spaced horizontal belt flights in the chamber, said belt flights being arranged to travel in alternate directions and the uppermost re ceiving the produce to be bleached thereon. and means for passing the produce from the upper to thelower belt flights in successive order at that end of the chamber toward which each such length of belt flight is moving.

2. A bleaching apparatus comprising an enclosed chamber adapted to receive bleaching fumes .therein, an endless beltextending lengthwise of the chamber in vertically spaced and horizontal flights, the alternate bleached thereon, and means for discharging said produce from each belt-flight in .turn at the end of its travel in one direction on to the succeeding belt-length below at the be-.

ginning of its travel in the opposite direction.

4. A bleaching apparatus comprising an enclosed chamber, a plurality of transversely arranged and vertically spaced rollers at each end of the chamber, an endless belt passing around the rollers in alternate order at each end of the chamber, and means for each belt flight thus formed andadjacent the end ,of itstravel in one direction for deflectingany products thereon to the succeeding flight immediately below and ahead of the rollers and preventing any such products from reaching the rollers.

5. A bleaching apparatus comprising an enclosed chamber adapted to receive bleaching fumes therein, an endless belt extending lengthwise of the chamber in vertically ipaced and horizontal flights, the alternate ightsbeing arranged to travel in opposed directions, the uppermost flight of belt being adapted to receive the produce to be bleached thereon a deflecting member at the rear end of each belt-flight and adapted to brush the produce ofl the flight and to'one side thereof, and aprons at the side of said flights positioned to. cause the produce to be deposited upon the succeeding belt-flightbelow.

6. Analmond bleacher including a bleach ing chamber, an inclined and enclosed chute leading to said bleaching chamber, an end less belt-conveyorcin said chute arranged to receive the almonds thereon, and a steam 7. A bleachingapparatus comprising an enclosed chamber adapted to receive bleaching fumes therein, a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal belts in the chamber,-the

uppermost receiving the product to be beached thereon and means for passing the produce from the upper to thelower runs of said belts and from the lower run to the upper run of thesuccessive lower belt. j

' 8. A bleaching apparatus comprising an enclosed chamber adapted to receive bleaching fumes therein, endless belts extending lengthwise of the chamber in vertically spaced and horizontal runs, the successive runs being arranged totravel in opposite directions, the uppermost run being adapted to receive the produce to be bleached thereon and means for discharging said produce from each run in turn at the end of its travel in one direction on to the succeeding the opposite direction. I

9. In an apparatus for the described pur pose, the combination with an outer casing provided with a bleaching chamber, of devices for supplying said chamber with 'run below at the beginning of its travel bleaching fumes, means'for receiving and moistening the almonds to be treated, propelling means within the bleaching chamber for advancing almonds therethrough in successive lower planes, and means for removing the treated almonds from within the apparatus. 7

10. An apparatus for bleaching almonds,

her in superposed relation, mechanism for imparting movement to said conveyors, de-

vices for delivering almonds onto the upper run of the uppermost conveyor of the series, devices associated with the discharge end of each run of the conveyors for receiving almonds therefrom, delivering the same'onto runs of the conveyors in successively lower planes, and means for receiving the bleached almonds from the lowermost conveyer of the series and delivering the same to the outside of the apparatus.

ALBERT M. FOWLER. I

' WILLIAM H." cAULF ILn,

In testimony whereof we aflix our signak tures. r pipe extending alongside said belt andjarranged to-s ray steam upon the almonds carried there y. r I 

